Bookmark These Yunnan Spots - Dali
Navigating travel and researching interesting places to visit in China is not as easy as it is for other destinations. Restaurants, cafés, bookshops, and the like are bundled in domestic apps, and in Chinese. So when my friend Mengting and I zipped around Yunnan together for a week, spent hours curating our hit-list on the Dianping app, and scootering around to get to them, I thought I’d compile those happy trails here to help other visitors who can’t easily access the info (forget about TripAdvisor, it’s been outdated since the bubble formed in 2020).
You’ll want to bookmark these spots.
DALI, YUNNAN
I love Dali’s community spirit, its homespun shops woven into the into the neighborhood of local residents — not just for transitory visitors — like the produce market, the bakery that makes rustic loaves with black garlic (and cakes, like a nostalgic British-style carrot cake), the vegan community center, and the “bulk bin” shop where you can decant locally produced vinegars, nut oils and grains from large glass jars into eco-friendly containers.
Note on addresses: I no longer navigate by address; these days we open Baidu Maps, copy + paste in the shop’s name, pin it, then navigate — steering our little blue dot ever nearer to the holy grail by foot, scooter, car and hunger-driven willpower. I’ve still included the Chinese addresses for peace of mind.
Names in “inverted commas” are my English translation of the place’s name, hopefully making it easier to identify what delights you’re in for. Just note that Chinese names take precedence... so don’t rely on translations, because no one is going to understand your Google translate’s “Double Lion Road” as Shuangshi Lu, so, just stick to Chinese names.
OKAY, LET’S GO.
“Spring Oasis Courtyard” / Chūnzé Tíngyuàn 春泽庭院
Chef Mo is a spirited, salt-of-the-earth lady who was born in Shanghai and spent the past decade in Dali. At her private dining courtyard and guest house — a 130-year-old residence she lovingly restored with antique wood and salvaged 1920s furniture — she brings each season’s bounties to the table, cooked with a gentle touch to let natural flavors sing from the fungi, ferns and flowers. To reserve dinner or an overnight stay (the bedrooms and shower are clean, rustic and charming), contact Chef Mo on WeChat by adding the user ID: chundew.
Address: 大理市三月街葱园村9号，九号咖啡馆*
*This guest house is off the beaten path, so the next-door coffee shop’s address is given here.
“North Gate Agricultural Market” / Bĕimén Nóngmào Shìchăng 北门农贸市场
The main market that sells everything — fresh vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, meats, herbs, grains, nuts, rose petal pastries, hot breakfasts and more.
Open daily, 8:00 - 22:00
Address: 大理市博爱路139号，一心堂药房*
*The market hardly needs an address — you’ll know it when you see it, baskets cropping up on the cobblestoned paths inside the Dali Old Town — but here’s a “pin”, the shop address of Yixin Pharmacy right in the thick of it.
Veggie Ark / Sufangzhou Weilai Kongjian 素方舟未来空间
A vegan community center in a lush, walled-in oasis right off the highway, with a café, restaurant, library in a mini bubble dome, indigo-dyeing workspace, playground, educational classrooms and more.
Open daily, 8:00 - 19:30
Address: 大理市双狮路中国石油阿鹏站对面*
*Address states that it’s opposite the China National Petroleum (zhongguo shiyou) gas station.
A breakfast spot recommended by Hannah: rice noodles with build-your-own toppings, youtiao, and xidoufen
A family-run stall set up under tarps; an uncle cooks individual pots of mixian (thick rice noodles in soup), alongside youtiao (fried bread sticks) and xidoufen (pea porridge). Situated in Dali Old Town.
Open daily, 8:00 - 18:00
Address: 大理市里平等路与214国道交叉口东40米百佳超市*
*Address states that it’s right next door to Baijia Supermarket
“Lizhao’s Bean Paste Pastry Shop” / Lizhaoji Lüdouxianbing Dian 丽诏记绿豆馅饼店
Traditional pastries with a sweet paste made from mung beans; earthy sweetness and dry, non-greasy lightness like compact powder snow. My favorite has a center of rose petal jam. Other flavors include black sesame, sour plum, hawthorn, and savory spice (“salt & pepper”, and a pinch of Sichuan peppercorn). Unlike most lard-layered flakey pastries, these are vegan! Situated in Dali Old Town.
Open daily, 9:00 - 18:00
Address: 大理市大理古城平等路126号
“Little Road Bookstore” / Xiaolu Shudian 小路书屋
A cute micro bookstore where I bought mushroom bookmarks and resisted buying woodblock prints and other objets d’art, in addition to some thoughtful book selections. The shops neighboring stores (pictured), cafés and a cozy beer cottage are fun to browse or do some reading in. Situated west of the Dali Old Town (outside of it).
Address: 大理市三文笔完全小学西北侧约190米*
*Address states that it’s 190 meters northwest of the school in that area…
"The Sauce Station” / Dajiangyou Nongchang Shangdian 打酱油农场商店
If I’d traveled with a suitcase (rather than a minimalist, Kondo-core hiking backpack), I would have filled it with these earthly elixirs and cereals in the shop larder: cold-pressed walnut oil from ancient trees, rose vinegar, wild plum wine, semi-polished organic rice, natto soy sauce (made from sticky fermented soy beans), papaya vinegar and millet vinegar. Because everything’s bottled in jugs to fill as you please and sold by weight, you can sample all of them as a regional flavor tour.
Address: 大理市弘圣路10号
Open daily, 9:00 - 21:00
Simple Stone Bakery / Pushi Hongbei 朴石烘焙
A cozy bakery and café a nesting place for writers, folks with kids, and rustic sourdough loaves with plucky add-ins like black garlic & walnut, turmeric & raisin, roasted red pepper & pine nut. There are croissants, bread pudding, carrot cake, cinnamon rolls and brownies. There are also boutiquey popsicles in pretty flavors like lemongrass coconut, blueberry jasmine tea, and classic dark chocolate — all vegan, and thoughtfully pressed into large and small sizes.
Address: 大理市弘圣路19-31号
Open daily, 10:00 - 20:00
“Yinmi Bridge-Crossing Noodles” (Dali Old Town branch) / Yinmi 银米 · 云南传统过桥米线（大理古城点）
“Bridge-crossing noodles” — in Yunnan, you can’t cast a pebble sans skipping across a sea of shops serving the region’s quintessential noodles. These thick, bouncy strands of white rice noodles are served with an elegant mosaic of toppings separated into little dishes. I like the atmosphere of this shop, more “tea house” than “noodle joint”; fresh white walls, natural sunlight streaming in from the open terrace and dark wood window frames. We went for the sour red broth; and shared one giant bowl of it between us two. The ambitious couple sat across made the rookie move of ordering one bowl each and struggled to finish the remaining small plates and desserts — of which, the rice wine jelly with seeds and dry fruit is a silky, worthwhile sip to refresh your senses.
Address: 大理市大理古城新民路15号
Open daily, 10:00 - 22:00
Chimido Market (when it’s not in session, visit Chimido Farm Restaurant / Chaimiduo Nongchang Canting 柴米多农场餐厅
We did not go to this restaurant, a picturesque and casual farm-to-table situation that I would absolutely go visit, next time. We did go to Chimido’s Farmer’s Market, which takes place sporadically. Neapolitan-style pizza was stretched and fired in a mini pizza oven on a mini truck; a vintage dress dyed with vegetable ink was tried on in a dressing-room tent, and bought for only ¥360; savory bean sauce was sampled with local organic rice; live music was enjoyed by the lake, where little sailboats cruised among the reeds.
Have a friend help you check for updates on their WeChat Official Account @柴米多CHIMIDO
Address (restaurant): 大理市叶榆路204号
Address (farmer’s market events): 大理市镇环海西路下鸡邑龙凤村洱海花伴，生客栈西行300米，柴米多生活农场
The restaurant is open daily, 10:30 - 21:30
When you travel, what kinds of experiences do you gravitate toward? Restaurants… clothing boutiques… produce markets… street food… art & design… am I missing something? Let me know. My thumbs and hawk-eyed judgment are ready to unscramble China’s Dianping & Red Book listings for you.